Speaking with impact and conviction

First of all, could you introduce yourself and tell us about your business?

The best way to do this is to put yourself in a situation:
How many times have we listened to a boring speech?
And how many times have we, as speakers, felt that we weren't as solid as we'd been led to believe?

My mission as a speaker, author and sparring partner is to coach managers and leaders in their communication skills: creating impact, capturing attention and enabling transformations that are more readily accepted.

I want to make speeches and presentations that are initially bland and far too didactic intelligible and exciting.

Whether it's an individual or a group session, I don't help people to be less afraid of speaking out. I help them to become more confident and solid. To achieve this, in training I'm uncompromising and uncompromising: I put them in difficult situations. They generally sweat blood, and that's normal. The aim is to make the exercise in real conditions a formality, a «walk in the park».«

What is the difference between a traditional speech and a high-stakes speech?

I love this question, because it touches on exactly what I do. A traditional speech is simply about conveying a message. You inform, you give one or two pieces of information, it's factual.

This is a high-stakes speech, often under conditions of stress. Unlike the first, it's not just about informing: it's about transforming and encouraging change. It's also high-stakes because we're asking people to change while making a major effort. If I had to summarise: in a traditional speech, you show a map. In a high-stakes speech, you build a bridge, show that it's stable and invite people to follow you.

Clarity leads to understanding, acceptance leads to action. And above all, it should never sound like something memorised: it should sound like a natural conversation.

What are the most common mistakes you see managers make in these situations?

I would say there are three main mistakes:

1. Believing that effect alone is enough. Many leaders, experts or managers think that their legitimacy or rationality is enough to convince. But this is not true.

    

2. Hiding behind the slides. Slides should not be a crutch to avoid forgetting the message, but a support. Too often, we hide behind them because we're not used to speaking or building a solid story.

    

3. Wanting to be beyond reproach. We try to say everything so as not to forget anything, but this transforms the speech into a simple transmission of information, instead of concentrating on what we want the audience to hear. change.

    

If you don't train under stress, these mistakes are amplified, and you completely lose the movement of the audience: you've given it your all, but nobody's been touched.

How can you help someone formulate clear, memorable answers under stress?

Three key elements:

1. Working on conviction What do I really stand for and how does it affect my audience? For example, if you are announcing a reorganisation, you need to anticipate the fears and expectations of your teams.

    

2. Preparing your «5 cards» As in a game of belote, you need to define your five key assets to bring out during your speech. This structures the message and makes it easier to give interviews and speeches.

    

3. Training under stress Most managers and executives don't practise telling their story. The camera becomes an ally, allowing us to see ourselves objectively and make adjustments.

    

After that, it's like any other sport: repeat a move until it becomes automatic. That way, under pressure, you can instinctively pull out the right trump cards.

What essential advice would you give someone before a high-stakes speech?

That's the million euro question.
My advice: forget about perfection. No one has ever followed a perfect speech, you follow a person and what they embody. To do that, there's only one rule: make people want to follow you. And one of the best ways of doing this, apart from being passionate about your work, is to develop your storytelling skills.